“Good, Good.” Then he did the sign of the cross. These cartel men could kill you in the morning and go to mass in the afternoon. That was just tradition with them. Still, I thought it showed the human side of him; he stayed for Tasha’s delivery and appeared to be genuinely concerned.

“Well, I’m going to stay here with Tasha. You can go back to the house.”

“No. I can’t leave either of you alone. I’ll have to get the other men to take turns, so we can be on rotation until you leave the hospital.”

“Okay, give me your cell phone number, and I’ll call you, so I can be in your phone. I may be here until she’s ready to be released.”

He nodded.

CHARLI LI

“You’re not doing what I asked you.” I had called my private investigator, Calvin Braggs. “Will I have to get someone else?”

“What do you mean? You have your updated ID and your passport.”

“Where is Tasha Macklin? You were supposed to keep a trail on her.”

“I don’t know. I’m here in New York, and the trail has gone cold.”

“I thought you knew how to hack hospital records. Has she had the baby yet?”

“She hasn’t delivered at Mount Sinai. That’s where she was supposed to deliver.”

“Has she been to see her ob-gyn, Dr. Brown?”

“No, not since last month. She could’ve changed doctors.”

“Have you seen her near her apartment?”

“No.”

“What about at Mr. Santos’ house?”

“His house is boarded up.”

“Why is it boarded up?”

“I’m checking now.”

“You’re definitely not on your job. I thought you were a hacker and could get into records, cell phones, and bank accounts. I’ll give you one week. And if you don’t have any up to the second reports I’m terminating my contract.” I slammed down the phone. I had already contacted a bomb expert to bomb Tasha’s car, but I had to make sure she was in it alone…. once we found her! I also wanted the dogs to mutilate her. And I wanted to take the baby through the system and get her arrested. Whichever tragedy came first, that would be her fate; but now, she had practically disappeared. I wanted to take her out or get her locked up, and I didn’t care how it happened. I wanted her. She needed to suffer for the rest of her life or die.

I went on social media and did some trolling. I tried Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but I couldn’t find Tasha. I couldn’t even find her friend, Angel, or the other ones.

What was I going to do next? My patience was running thin.

RICK